Defense attorneys in the Aurora theater-shooting case want to close jury selection to the public and to spend extra time quizzing potential jurors about their views on the insanity defense.

In a preview of jury-selection issues to be discussed Thursday at a scheduled hearing, the defense says in a court filing that allowing members of the public and survivors of the attack to watch jury selection would cause potential jurors to change their answers to questions.

“With the added pressure of facing the witnesses, victims and worldwide media, the likelihood of any juror being able to honestly self-diagnose and expose their own biases is nil,” the defense’s filing states.

The defense also wants to question potential jurors individually early in the selection process about their views on the insanity defense. Because James Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the attack that killed 12 people and wounded dozens more, the defense argues that a juror’s views on the insanity defense are as important as a juror’s views on the death penalty.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, are asking that prospective jurors receive a detailed explanation of the death-penalty sentencing process during jury selection.

Debate over what should be included on the questionnaire that each of the 6,000 potential jurors expected to be summoned for the case will fill out has been postponed. The issue had been scheduled for a closed-door hearing.

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